fun science with “exploding” jupiters

Prep
Engineer and I checked out some pictures of Jupiter online, then decided on what colors to incorporate into our experiment. We settled on white, red, and orange even though that might not be 100% scientifically correct. 😉

We made baking soda paste to create mini “explodable” Jupiters. For each color, we mixed a cup of baking soda with about 1/4 cup water. We left the white batch alone, of course, but added liquid watercolors to the other two. The paste was thick enough to be patted together into shapes. If yours is too runny, add a little more baking soda. If it’s too crumbly to hold together, add a little more water.

Making & “exploding” Jupiters!
To make Jupiter, we grabbed bits of all three colors and mixed them together into a small ball. To make the uniform spherical shape, we used our new Handy Scoopers. We could have just used our hands, but Engineer and I were itching for an excuse to use our new toys. In case you’re wondering, we’re aware that Jupiter’s colors are more in a striped formation. We weren’t able to get the stripes right, even though we tried!

After we had a few Jupiters done, it was time for some fizzing planet fun! Engineer called it “exploding Jupiter!” We drip-dropped vinegar on the planets and watched them bubble and dissolve. I had such a blast listening to all of his observations and questions about the chemical reaction! Needless to say, lots and lots of fun science ensued! We ended up making and “exploding” about seven planets before it was time for dinner. The kiddo asked if we could make other planets too, so I have a feeling we’ll be doing just that soon!

What kind of fun science experiments do your children/students enjoy the most? I’d love to hear about them over at Fun-A-Day’s Facebook page!

This fun science activity is a part of the A-Z Science Experiments series. Be sure to pop over there and see the rest of the experiments running through the alphabet this month!

I’m so sorry, but I didn’t see this comment until now! Basically, the kiddos wanted to pretend that they were bad guys exploding planets. Not the best answer, but it’s true! Tell your son I say hello. 🙂

Hi Merryl! When baking soda and vinegar interact, a chemical reaction occurs – specifically, an endothermic reaction (heat-absorbing). Baking soda is a base, and vinegar is an acid. When they combine, a product of the reaction is carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide escaping causes the fizzing!

Hey Mary! Can we have the exact recipe for this fun activity? We’re planning to do this at a children’s astrochemistry event, and it would be great if we had exact amounts to make this work. Thank you!

Hey Mary, me again! We’ve been putting together our version of this project, and we were just wondering why you decided to pick Jupiter! Is there a science behind the chemical makeup of the planet that deals with “exploding”? Thank you!

Hi again! 🙂 I wish I could tell you we had a real scientific reason for choosing Jupiter. Alas, we didn’t. We just happened to choose that planet first. We’ve since made a variety of other fizzing planets from our solar system, too. How is your version going?!

[…] Fizzing Jupiter–Who wouldn’t want to build a planet and then watch it fizz and bubble? I bet you don’t hear a lot of “no, let’s not do that” from your crew when it comes to this lively experiment from Fun-A-Day! […]